I'm coming home
by FMAlchemist96
Summary: Post CoS. Al gives Ed a guilt trip for leaving Winry behind. Ed tinks he's found a way back. R
1. Chapter 1

When I started this, I was yelling at Ed while watching CoS. I was gonna toss it, but decided to keep going. Glad I did!

* * *

"Brother, why?"

"Why what?" Edward asked bitterly.

"Why'd you leave her?"

Edward stared out his window at the rapidly passing landscape.

"Brother!"

"I didn't- I couldn't bring her into this, Al."

The younger Elric stood with his fists balled, in a strangely angry mood.

"Do you have any idea how committed to you she was, even though you were gone? She _knew _you were still out there? She had your auto-mail ready for you! She waited… you won't talk about it because-"

"Why Al? You tell why!" Edward exploded.

"Because you're guilty!"

Edward stood and tried to leave their car, but Alphonse stopped him.

"She loved- no, _loves_ you."

The elder Elric shook his brother off and slipped out the door. As he was leaving, Alphonse could've sworn he heard a sob.

* * *

Winry headed absently through Central to Maes Hughes' grave. Ever since Edward had temporarily returned, she had tried to stay in Central. Especially since Pinako's death, she'd felt pulled there.

Pinako had died not long after Ed's return to the other side. She, like Trisha Elric, never told anyone of her sickness, not even Winry.

* * *

"I swear, I'll find a way, Al."

"No, Brother. Unless you know any homunculi, we're staying here."

"You mean-"

"Yeah. There's no way back."

Ever since their train, Al had been bitter and hostile toward his brother.

"I _wil_l find a way, Al. I have to."

"How?"

"I don't know," Edward admitted. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

"here. Win told me to give you this. I think she knew this would happen." Alphonse held out an envelope.

Edward opened it almost dropping it when he saw the contents. He flipped through all the pictures of himself, Al, and Winry. His heart sank when he saw the most recent of Winry. On the back, he found a note.

'You'll find a way. I know you will. And when you come back, we need to talk.

Love, Win'

Edward's shoulders shook as he read the note scrawled in Winry's neat handwriting.

"Wait…" Edward smacked his forehead. "How could I have missed this?"


	2. Chapter 2

I know this is short, but I'm going to try and make them longer in the future.

* * *

"Al, I know how to get back! I can't believe I missed this!"

* * *

"It's Elicia's birthday tomorrow. I'm so excited!" Schezkia squealed. Winry met her at Hughes' grave.

"Ed's too," Winry said softly.

"Oh yeah. I always forget they share a birthday. He'll be…"

"19." Winry answered quickly.

"Hard to believe, isn't it? It seems like it was just yesterday he was the little 15 year old that got me a job at Central. I can't believe he's gone."

"Why are you talking about him like he's dead? He's still alive, he just…isn't here. But he _will_ find a way. He always does."

Edward rushed into his small home he shared with his brother. Al sat reading the paper and sipping coffee. He'd been giving his brother the cold shoulder lately, and Edward was not only tired, but _very _guilty.

"I'm positive this'll work! Al, where are we?"

Al stared at his brother, confused.

"Is that supposed to be a trick question?"

"No. Just tell me where we are!"

"Home!"

Edward laid out a map of Amestris.

"How about here, where would we be?"

"Resembool…" Alphonse was catching on.

Edward laid out a map of Resembool.

"How 'bout now?"

"Home…"

"Exactly! Which means the office here would be-"

"Dad's workroom. But Ed, none of this is making much sense. Wow, we're in the same house we had on the other side, big whoop."

"I have a hunch. We make a circle here, since we performed human alchemy back home, it just might work!"

Al shook his head.

"Know any Homunculi?" Alphonse asked bitterly.

* * *

_Months later…_

Winry headed to the front door of her home in Central. She fumbled around with the keys. She was startled by a hug from behind.


	3. Chapter 3

"Elicia! You scared me!" (A/N: BAM! Bet you all thought it was Ed….)

The small girl smiled and held out an apple pie.

"Mom made it for your birthday."

Winry looked up at Gracia gratefully.

"I know you've been going through a rough time these past few months, so we decided to throw you a party."

Winry opened her mouth to argue, but before she could speak, Gracia continued.

"No arguments. You're a part of our little family, so you get a party. Elicia agrees."

The little girl nodded vigorously.

"You're like my big sister."

Winry smiled.

"That's so sweet of you guys."

"You seem sad, Winry."

"No, i-it's nothing."

Elicia thought for a moment.

"You miss big brother Ed, don't you?"

"Very much,"

* * *

"Alright Al. Everything is perfect."

"But Brother, what about Equivalent Exchange? We can't just… and what about the Homunculus?"

"Well Al, obviously someone's looking out for us. This world's sloth is well…a sloth."

The brothers simultaneously touched the circle, light filling the small room.

"It's working, Al!"

The brothers grabbed hands and jumped into the gap they had opened.

* * *

"Well, it seems Winry moved to Central."

Edward groaned.

"We came clear out here to find out she's in Central?"

"We need to hurry Brother! We need to make it to her house before the end of the day!"

"Yeah, we'll make sure this birthday is unforgettable." Edward chuckled.

The men clapped Ed on the back, the women hugged him. Al, being the soft sweet guy he is, hugged everybody. With Winry still in the kitchen, the rest of the party sat back at the table, anxious to see the birthday girl's reaction. Alphonse sat in Winry's seat, Ed stood next to him, both wearing ear-to-ear grins.

"Hey guys, we're out of milk." Winry said, entering the dining room. "So all we have is wa…ter…" Winry dropped the pitcher she was holding and slowly approached the Elrics. When she reached them, then brought a hand to both of their faces, as if to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"We're home."

Winry swung at both brothers with her trusty wrench.

"It's about damn time! I was worried sick about you guys! Al, you left without even _telling _me!"

"I-I'm sorry…" Alphonse murmured, feeling the new lump on his head.

"And you, Ed…. Why the hell didn't you take me with you?"

"I-I'm sorry, I just didn't want to drag you into the mess."

"Yeah. Please don't hit us again…" Al moaned.

Winry dropped her wrench and knelt next to the brothers.

"I'm just glad you guys are finally home."

* * *

Alrighty! One more chapter oughta do it for tis lil tale! Probably update Friday... then after that, nothing until mid-december!


	4. Chapter 4

And here we are, the final chapter! I feel so accomplished! H+C's been updated, so if you haven't checked that out, do! After this, I think I'll update CHS.

Edward slept stomach out in his bed at the Rockbell home. _His _home. He was snoring, and Al slept peacefully in the bed across the room. Winry stood in the doorway, watching the brothers who had caused her so much worry the past seven years.

Edward's snoring grew louder and he woke Alphonse, who compromised by throwing a pillow at his elder brother. Grumbling, Edward took his own pillow and a blanket and headed out of the room. Winry tried to move, so as not to be seen, but failed.

"Winry?" Edward whispered.

Winry stayed silent, hoping Ed hadn't really seen her.

Edward walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"Winry, I know you're there."

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? You were spying on us!"

"Three years, Ed. You've been gone for three years. Al's been gone for one year. I missed you…guys."

"You helped me, you know. Made me think of Resembool, which helped us get back."

"Glad I could help." Winry started back for her room…followed by Edward.

"I saw you. On the other side. It was hard, but I forced myself to stay away."

"Why, Ed?"

"'cause even though she was a Winry, she…she wasn't you. I already decided I was going to come back. I didn't want any ties. And with what Al said,"

"What did he say?" Winry plopped down onto her bed and Edward closed the door. The absent-mindedness was kind of scaring him, but Winry wasn't objecting, which came as a surprise to him.

"You asked, so don't kill me. Al said that even if you wouldn't admit it, you knew I was coming back. He said…he said you loved me. Then he changed it and said you love me. I think he saw that picture."

"Ed…he didn't have to see the picture."

"Y-you're saying-"

"That I love you? Yeah, I think I am."

Edward sighed and hung his head.

"Don't get me wrong Winry. I love you, like a sister. I don't have a crush on you. They say if a crush lasts longer than four months, you're already in love. It's been thirteen years."

A short chapter to close, but yeah…I've gotten a bad case of writer's block. Luckily, I wrote the next three chapters of CHS already… so yeah…I love you guys' input. I really want CC!


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